Quelle Chris – “Birthdaze” (Video)

“The title [for the album] comes from a real-life discussion about the difficulties of consistency,” he writes on Bandcamp. “How each of us are subject to both our own bad spirits and bursts of inspiration, those unavoidable Serotonin and dopamine peaks and valleys. Being You is Great is an attempt to catalog those moods. It’s about learning to love, or at least recognize, the best and worst of one’s self.”

On “Birthdaze,” Quelle finds himself attending an epic birthday party thrown by the lovely Jean Grae. But instead of enjoying himself and making memories with his loved ones, he’s stuck in his head, dreading another year on earth.

As someone who’s worked at home for nearly 16 years, I’ve developed a habit of doing the same. Relying on an inner dialogue to get by, while missing “life” as it passes right before me. It’s important to be mindful and the Mike Petrow-directed video does a great job at reinforcing that. There’s plenty of positive moments ahead of you, you just have to be present to receive them.

With features from Roc Marciano, Homeboy Sandman, Denmark Vessey, Jean Grae, and eLZhi, the Detroit emcee/producer’s new album has been described as “a darker shade of psychedelia, as if Madvillain gobbled anti-anxiety pills instead of psilocybin.” And after giving it a solid listen, that’s something I can’t argue.